This invention relates to release mechanisms, and more particularly to release mechanisms that are electrically activated from a remote control station.
Many current personnel-type ejection systems in the U.S. Navy employ a rocket for propelling the aircrewman from the cockpit. In the more simple installations the rocket is attached to the aircrewman by means of a rope lanyard or pendant releasibly connected by a yoke or clevis connector to the aircrewman's harness. After ejection of the aircrewman the pendant is released from the harness connector by a pendant disconnect activator (PDA) which consists of a gas generator mounted to the airman's head rest frame. The gas generator is connected to the yoke connectors located on each side of the aircrewman's harness through two long flexible fluid hoses by which gas pressure is transmitted to the yoke connectors to effect release of the rocket pendant.
Such a design requires relatively long gas transmission lines that extend along the harness risers and, besides being bulky and cumbersome, requires an extra volume of gas, necessitating a larger gas generator, which further increases the weight of the release system. Furthermore, the size of the gas generator must also take into consideration any gas leakage that may occur in the gas lines and their connections.
Other aircrew extraction systems employ line cutters to separate the extractor rocket. However, as such rocket pendants lines can be one-half inch or more in diameter, the size of the cutters that must be employed to sever such thick pendants introduces the same weight factor.